Stories of the winners we've coached
We're proud to have coached numerous athletes into reaching critical turning stones in their powerlifting career.
Nowadays there is an adbundance of powerlifting coaches. I have been lifting since 2018 and I have had many coaches, all of them having their goods and bads. For me, the most important personality trait for a good coach is the ability to understand the athlete. This means that he/she can listen and communicate with an athlete. I find that Rijker has this quality on point.
It may sound pretty straight forward, but believe me, it is not. Rijker wants to understand/feel the athlete: making video calls regularly, checking technique, having post meet discussions etc.
Supreme Strength is growing fast, but Rijker still manages to provide individual attention to his athletes. But where Rijker really stands out, is admitting improvements in his programming. For example, we both agreed that my secondary squat day during my nationals prep was a bit too much. Even with a bag full of experience in Powerlifting, I can feel that he is still eager to learn in order to provide the best coaching service possible.
Alwin Tan (34),
-74KG IPF Powerlifter
Currently, I have been working with Coen for almost half a year. I made the decision to work with an experienced coach who can make conscious choices for his athletes and also deal with pain and injuries. Since April, I have had back pain that hindered my performances and came back inconsistently.
Now, half a year later, we have been able to take the right steps to stay pain-free while training and growing. This has been great for me because I had never had an injury before and Coen has helped me a great deal with this. He has always been easy to reach during our collaboration. We have made a ton of progress for our first competition together and I am curious to see how much more we can achieve for the next competitions.
Mert Ferdi Kar (21),
-83 KG IPF Powerlifter
Rijker's coaching has helped me achieve goals I would never have imagined possible. I did my first competion in 2017 and I got second to last. However, he saw potential in me and over the years I grew so much stronger. Under his guidance I was able to win two National championships in a row as well as set multiple national open records and win several international medals in Powerlifting. He made me the powerlifter and person I am today. Now I have become stronger, mentally and physically, than ever before. We continue to tweak and adapt where we can to achieve the optimal performance in life and on the platform.
Jacqueline Klaver (26),
-76 KG IPF Powerlifter
Coen has been my coach for my past three meet preps, and I have nothing but good things to say about him. Over the past few years I’ve experienced his coaching style evolve, and with that came the results. The numbers speak for themselves, as during my last meet prep I was able to fully recover all of my strength after about a year of not powerlifting in just eight weeks.
Furthermore due to his coaching style, there Is very much a dialogue between lifter and coach. I’ve always received extensive feedback and he listens to possible issues and adjusts the plan accordingly.
Remco van Woerkom (22),
- 120 KG IPF Powerlifter
I started powerlifting in early 2019 during my time in high school, then around September of 2019 I moved from the United States to the Netherlands. I had already done one competition in the US, where I totalled 451 kg, and wanted to continue improving and competing in the Netherlands. I then met Coen through a mutual friend and asked him to coach me for a meet that was coming up. In my two years with Coen I have added 200 kg to my total, and I am very satisfied with his coaching and programming. Not only has my total gone up, but I have also had zero injuries. Any time I felt something was uncomfortable with my lifts, I would tell Coen and we would always either ease up on the training, change the programming or fix my form if it was a technical issue. This has allowed me to make steady progression for two years straight with little to no set backs. Coen's programming and technical advice has steadily improved over the course of my time with him, and I would definitely recommend him as a coach to anyone interested in becoming a better strength athlete.
Rishi Nair (21),
- 93 KG IPF Powerlifter
I got to know Rijker during the IPF World Championships in Sweden in 2019, where we traveled together and sparred about training ideas. For the 2021 Dutch National Championships I needed a gameday coach. Although I did not see or speak to Rijker often I knew he was the right coach for the job. Through his academic experience and his experience in powerlifting, he understands the game like no other. He knows to make the right calls and gives the confidence that you need during a competition. In the heat of the battle he gave me the boost I needed to perform my best.
Richard van Bezooijen (26),
- 93 KG IPF Powerlifter